Author in her first costume! |
Gilded
Serpent presents...
Professional
Presence
Stories
and Advice from 30 Years Under the Hip Belt and Counting...
by Aszmara
In these days,
where we mainly have restaurants that once or twice a week
move a few tables to the side to make room for entertainment,
I was lucky enough to enjoy the last vestiges of true night
clubs in New York City during the late ‘70's and early 80's. Most
places had performances 5 nights a week so you really had a
chance to hone your skills as an entertainer and feel how musicians
approached their craft. This article series has advise
for having professional presence as well as stories from the
front line of entertainment.
Arrive On Time
Leave
plenty of travel time and plan on traffic tie ups on the
weekends. There is always the matter of parking as
well!
I have literally
spent over an hour circling the blocks in Manhattan looking
for parking. For clubs in the city, I figured into my
travel time one hour just to look for a space. Have your
directions to the job ready and have the telephone number of
your contact just in case of horrible traffic.
“I’m Late! Where’s
My Bag?”
I
was working at a small club in the heart of the village and the
other dancer of the evening was late because of the parking issue. She
ran into the club and immediately went to the tiny ladies room
to change. In short order, she signaled the band with her
cymbals that she was ready. They played her entrance music
and, with her “I’m late” anxiety focused into a strong stage
entrance,
...she
didn’t notice that the hook of her dress bag had attached
itself to the bottom of her skirt.
Off she went
around the dance floor, the musicians’ eyes never leaving the
path of the dress bag as it followed her around. It took
a trip or two around the floor before she notice the offending
object. Once she was close enough to me, I unhooked the
bag from her skirt. We all had a laugh about it after the
show and it makes a great anecdote but the real lesson here
was that the dancer’s strength of stage entry was so focused
that even the weight of a garment bag could not deter her from
making a strong and beautiful presence on stage.
Put on your “Smile” As You
Arrive
The
audiences’ first glimpse of you is as you arrive and how
they see you affects their opinion of your show. First
impressions count!
So it doesn’t
matter that you just spent 3 hours in the car with the heater
stuck on high in 90 degree weather, or that you just lost your
keys, or that you think you might be growing a zit the size
of Montana on your nose... Put on your smile and let
them know that you are there to entertain the masses!
“Graceful
Entrances & Exits”
El
Avram’s Nite Club in Greenwich Village was a staple on the New York nightclub scene with
international performers, live band, and a bellydancer
5 nights a week, two shows a night with three on Sunday. It
was a bustling club; the owner was an Israeli man named Avram
Grobard who can be heard singing and playing accordion
on the albums from the famous Cafe Feenjon. He
prided himself on being able to play songs from everywhere
and, as he recognized a customer coming into the club,
from the stage he would sing something from their country. He
told the same jokes every night, but because he genuinely
enjoyed entertaining, they consistently generated laughs. He
was a fair man, and although the pay was pittance, he never
failed to give you your envelope on Sunday night. He
also gave many dancers and singers their first break, myself
included, and with the performance schedule, you really
had the opportunity to work on your show and audience skills.
The club’s
street entrance had a small dark bar with a huge ancient bull’s
head, a coat check, the club owner’s office and two stairways
leading to the basement nightclub; a circular staircase for
the public and the cave like cement back stairs that led to
the kitchen. Every night, the dancer would go down the
circular stairway to let the Boss know you had arrived and
then go back up the circular stairs to change in his office. In
costume, you would gingerly traverse the narrow, arched tunnel
cement back stairs to the kitchen, deftly avoiding bowls of
salad and peach melba with your veil to await your introduction.
“Let’s bring
on the dancer. She’s freezin’ in the kitchen”
was the ritual
intro Avram used. After the show, it was back through
the kitchen dancing around the waiter’s picking up food and
gathering your skirt and veil to travel up the cement stairway.
One night,
after the ritual run down the circular stairway, run up the
circular stairway, down the cement stairway through the kitchen
to make my entrance, back up the cement stairs after the show
to change, I started down the circular stairs in my street
garb, missed a step and bumped on my cute little behind all
the way down into the club. The couple collecting their
coats at the top of the stairs looked over the railing and
said, “And she was so graceful on stage.”
Author performing at El Avram circa 1979 |
Know your Audience, Musicians,
and Choosing Music Working
with live musicians is always an exciting challenge. It
has all the ingredients of tightrope walking without the
net.
There were
so many nights when I didn’t know what dance situation I was
stepping into, but years of experience taught me the way to
talk to musicians about putting together a show that we would
all have fun performing.
Whenever possible,
do your homework! Check the venue before your booked
date. Is the audience made up mostly of Arabic, Turkish, Indian,
or American clients? Who are the band members? Have
you seen them perform with other dancers? What did they
play for the dancer you saw?
When working
with older musicians, I go for older, classical music by Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim Hafez, Farid El Attrache. Know
the Arabic classics! For Turkish shows - know the rhythms.
They also use Maqsoum, Beledi, Saidi (Ya
Ein Moulyatein is called Shashkin,
and Azziza is
called by another name and is slightly different) but most
Turkish musicians also know the old Arabic classics. Learn
at least one Kashlima so you can really dance to the Turkish
sound.
See them perform
in the venue before you do. Introduce yourself, state that
you are dancing there in a few weeks and ask their permission
to record them playing. Thank them at the end of the
evening and tell them that you are looking forward to working
with them. Ask about a particular piece that you may
have liked. Who is the composer? Then FIND a recording
of it! Listen to their music until it comes out of your
pores!
Above all,
ask the musicians what they like to play for themselves and
for dance shows. When the musicians are comfortable and
enjoy playing, your show will reflect that assurance
as you are supported by the music. In talking to the
musicians go through your show music check list - write it
out yourself as they do. As you see in the following
story, the list is important!
Show
Music Check List For the Set list:
- which rhythms
- which songs
- which instrument
takes a taxim in each song
- where in
the song the taxim is played
- how long
each selection should be
- how the
songs end
- the transition
from one piece to the next
“Don’t Worry
Honey. We Play for You Good Show”
This
dreaded quote would come every now and again in different nightclubs. In
general, this meant that the musicians attitude was ‘we play
what we want - you just collect tips that we all share.’
The
songs most often played when I heard this quote was Shishela and Fafelu. To
this day, I can’t listen to those two songs without
thinking “Don’t worry, Honey, we play for you good show”
and feeling the condescending pat on the shoulder.
Souren and author |
May 2007 at
the FolkTours Camp, Artemis Mourat asked
me to be a guest artist in the teacher show. This was
a great honor and knowing that Artemis, Dalia Carella and
myself all like the same music (slow 9/8, fast chiftitelli,
fast 9/8), I spent an hour or so with Dalia and the band leader, Souren
Baronian, arranging the show so that we all had what
we liked and that the shows would be different from each other. We
had all of the specifics worked out as to which rhythms, which
songs, which instrument takes a taxim in each song, where in
the song the taxim is played, how long each selection should
be, how the songs end, and the transition from one piece to
the next. This was on Saturday and Souren talked over
Dalia’s and my show with the musicians who were already there
and would practice with the other musicians who were to arrive
on Sunday’s show day.
Sunday afternoon,
Souren, my dear friend, took ill and I accompanied him to the
emergency room where we spent a few hours until he was happily
released with an all clear for health. I returned to
the camp in time for dinner, a little shaken after the hospital
experience, with Souren feeling better and saying he was well
enough to play that evening. When, I checked on him an
hour later, he said, “Oh, Aszie, I’m so sorry. I can’t
play tonight.” The oud player of the evening, Mike
Uzatmaciyan went to Souren’s cabin and they again talked
over the show. Mike took the music lists and then spoke
to the other musicians.
A little aside
about the FolkTours Camp before I continue with my story. You
are inspired just as you walk around camp hearing music from
every little corner or seeing a few steps from a dance class. The
dance and music teachers are all excellent and tops in their
field. The musicians for the evening shows are the teachers
and guest musicians who are also tops in their field. The
dance teacher performances are with these fabulous musicians
and watching their shows is a special treat. As with
the whole camp experience, it is a learning experience that
stays with you and helps you grow as an artist.
Having said
all that about the musicians, it now comes time for me to talk
to these wonderful musicians about my show. I have only
worked with the drummer before so I need to introduce myself
to the rest of the band and to make sure that the show information
was translated intact. I introduce myself to the new
band leader,
...Tomer and
as I start to ask about my show he says, “Don’t worry Honey.
We play for you good show.” I can’t believe my ears! I
try to discuss the particulars of the show and he repeats,
“Don’t worry Honey. We play for you good show,” all
with the accompanying pat on the shoulder. I feel the
panic rising;
yes, even after
all of these years performing, I get nervous. Add
to that my weakened emotional state after being at the hospital
with Souren, the “Don’t worry Honey. We play for you good
show” was a little more than I could bear.
2007 Folktours Camp in Green Lane, Pennsylvania
Musicians pictured frm left to right: Mike Uyatmaciyan,
unknown clarinetist, Tamer Pinarbasi and Hamit Golbasi
photo
by Jennifer Peng |
Show
time. I
am dressed and ready, watching the show from the vendor section
of the room. The musicians were absolutely incredible. They
played a Longa that was so technically excellent at a speed
to defy mortal human beings. Once you thought that they
couldn’t take it any faster, they did. Then again, and then
again! They are true masters of their instruments and
we are so lucky to hear such fabulous playing. Dalia
performs and she is so beautiful with all the excitement and
passion that she shows with every performance. She receives
a well deserved standing ovation and without so much as one
song in between to let the audience calm down, I am on. They
play the opening just as I had worked out with Souren. We
come to the first song and they changed the taxim instrument. This
happens throughout the show; they made changes to better suit
the players. The show was wonderful! But they decided
that my show needed to be longer and just as I am waiting for
the last piece, a Laz, they start playing, can you guess it,
the “Don’t worry, Honey. We play for you good show” song
‘Fafelu.’ I danced and laughed my way through the piece
and this was one time that I didn’t worry, they played for
me a fabulous show. They had changed
who plays the taxims in each piece to accommodate their skills
- which key the song is played in correlation to which player
is most accomplished or comfortable playing a taxim in that
key. In discussing music with musicians, key is sometimes
a determining factor as to playing taxims. One player
knows the song in one key, the other knows it in another key. One
of them has to switch keys and it’s not as easy as it sounds. Some
keys are more comfortable than others for the player so always
listen to them and ask if it is comfortable.
Your
taxim instrument choice may have to change because you want
the musicians to play their best. When you all work
together, you all fly higher.
Additional
offsite info:
Avram Grobard- http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/053107/ltBacktoElAvrum.html
photo
by Ed Stone
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Check the "Letters to the Editor" for
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Ready
for more?
3-17-08 From
Cabaret to DJ Bellydance
in New York: An Overview, 1988 - 2007 by
Nina Costanza (Amar)
But the primary forums for dancers, the major
New York nightclubs, have closed their doors. Cabaret is
gone; it is the era of the DJ. And the new dancer has to
have another job.
5-20-03 Loving
Remembrance & Requiem: the Best “School”That
Ever Was, Part 1 by Morocco/ Carolina Varga Dinicu
I looked at her & said, “If I can’t do better than that, I’ll
hand in my feet!”A case of having more guts than brains.
7-8-08 When
Two Doors Close Two Doors Open, New Venues in New
York City, by Sarah Skinner
Scott
was thrilled with the new place and said it reminds him of the
late night clubs in Istanbul, Turkey. At the end of the night I
walked out into the hot summer air feeling invigorated and inspired.
3-6-05 The
Folk Tours Dance & Music Camp Review by Piper
(and baby pics too!) Photos by Carl Miller, May 2004
Once
upon a time, in far away lands, I performed five shows a night,
seven nights a week to great live music. I don’t miss the
wily club owners, late nights, or cigarette smoke, but I do miss
the music.
10-4-04 Folktour's
2nd Annual Music and Dance Camp Photos by Carl Miller,
Report by Mark Balahadia
Pennsylvania,
May 2004, Dancers and musicians all over the East Coast (and
abroad) came to participate in the four-day oriental dance and
music camp. 5-13-08 The
Ancient Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut by Neon
Even
one’s casual presence in the forums infested with negative-spirited
discussions can instantly strip a successful artist of her magical
charisma.
7-23-08 Making
Recorded Music Memorable by Chandani
Through
the years we have come up with ways to make pre-recorded performance
music sound better, work better and avoid mishaps.
7-17-08
5-21-08 Saturday Gala
Peformance Part 2 of the International Bellydance Conference
of Canada video and photo report by GS staff
Performers
in Act 2 : Aisha Ali of Southern California, Bozenka of Florida,
Amy Sigil & Kari Vanderzwaag of Unmata from Sacramento, California,
Tito Seif of Egypt, Aida Nour of Egypt
7-17-08 IBDC
Part 3: The Community Response- Dream Big by Betsey
Flood, Photos contributed by Masouma Rose and Monica
What
did those who attended that Las Vegas event last August –the
one that strove to become the biggest belly dance convention
ever -- think about their experience? Their answers may surprise
you.
7-15-08 Egyptian
Wedding Stories by Leila of Cairo
All
the guests were staring at us. The father of the bride demanded
to know who ordered the bellydancer and it seemed a fight was
going to break out between representatives of the brides’family
and the hotel organizer.
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